Plastics have caused a sharp decline in fertility among men, leaving only one in four with “good” sperm, scientists say. Chemicals called phthalates — found in plastics and products such as shower curtains, car dashboards and cleaning materials — can be breathed in, consumed or absorbed through

Women who have had an abortion or surgery to treat a miscarriage are more likely to have a premature baby in future, researchers say. A procedure used in surgical abortions, and in the surgical treatment of miscarriage, increases the chance of giving birth to a future baby at under 37 weeks by 30

Women over the age of 44 should be advised against trying IVF using their own eggs as they have just a 1 per cent chance of success, according to a major study. Researchers found a woman is almost 20 times less likely to be able to have a baby at 44 than 39 as her eggs deteriorate. Experts said

Mothers may be inadvertently “cursing” their sons with bad DNA, which may explain why men do not live as long as women, a scientist believes. Defects in the DNA of the mitochondria that power the body’s cells can cause men to become infertile, blind or suffer muscle, heart and brain disorders

A condition affecting two million British women could put them and their babies at risk during pregnancy, a study suggests. Women with a history of endometriosis were 76 per cent more likely to miscarry and more than twice as likely to have ectopic pregnancies. Those whose pregnancies continued

Staff working in A&E departments “lack compassion” when treating mental health patients, according to a report from the health watchdog. Reviewing how public services dealt with people experiencing a mental health crisis, the Care Quality Commission said that, while there were many examples of

Weekend GP appointments have been scrapped in one of David Cameron’s key pilot schemes after doctors said that no one was turning up. Patient campaigners called the decision ludicrous. Barely one in ten Sunday appointments was filled in Yorkshire surgeries testing out-of-hours care and only half

Eating half a handful of peanuts a day can cut the risk of dying early by a quarter, according to a major study. Peanuts could protect against death from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and other conditions, researchers said. Experts warned, however, that salted peanuts and products

A woman’s diet when she becomes pregnant can affect her child’s lifelong chance of cancer and infections, a study suggests. People whose mothers ate poorly when they were conceived had alterations in their genetic code that could make them more likely to get viruses but less likely to die of

A woman aged 28 has become the first in the world to give birth to a healthy child using ovarian tissue that had been removed and frozen when she was a child. The news gives hope to thousands of young cancer victims facing treatment that could leave them infertile. There have been previous